EU is Cracking Down on Tech Giants
Apple could soon be forced to allow Fortnite and any other third-party application to be installed on iOS devices without the need for App Store permission, if the new EU legislation goes into effect.
This comes as a result of the new Digital Markets Act, also known as DMA, which is the EU’s effort to allow smaller entities to compete with tech giants and introduce long-lasting anti-trust reforms.
The new anti-trust legislation would not only allow Fortnite to be installed on Apple’s iPhones, it would virtually also allow iPhone users to install any application that doesn’t meet Apple’s App Store standards, for better or for worse.
“We believe that the owner of a smartphone should have the freedom to choose how to use it,” said European Commission spokesperson Johannes Bahrke in a statement to The Verge. “This freedom includes being able to opt for alternative sources of apps on your smartphone. With the DMA, a smartphone owner would still be able to enjoy safe and secure services of the default app store on their smartphones. On top of that, if a user so chooses, the DMA would allow a smartphone owner to also opt for other safe app stores.”
Apple has infamously been preventing unfavorable applications and games from being installed on any of their iOS devices by simply not granting them permission on their App Store. This has allowed them to block Fortnite from their App Store when Epic Games rejected paying 15% of their earnings to Apple.
It’s also widely known that Apple has also used that power to block Xbox from releasing its Game Pass application on iOS devices. Apple simply cited that they would have to approve every game on the service, which fans said was hypocritical given the fact that Netflix is allowed on the App Store and they have the same business model except with TV Shows and movies instead of games.
Apple of course is expected to dispute the new legislation, however, it is expected that the EU will vote on the matter as soon as October of 2022.